The field of the disclosure relates generally to measuring electric energy consumption, and more specifically to a system and method for generating an energy usage profile for an electrical device.
To ensure that an amount of electricity generated by an electrical utility is sufficient to meet a load demand placed on a system by their customers, the utility must continually manage their capacity. Utilities generally have two options for meeting demands on the system during periods of peak energy demand (loading). These include either bringing additional generating capacity on-line to satisfy the increased demand, or, if properly equipped, shedding load across their customer base to reduce overall demand on the system.
When reducing demand, it is desirable to equitably distribute a necessary load shedding across the customer base. This is especially true where participation in load control programs is voluntary. In this regard, a number of methods have been proposed to manage load control fairly across a wide range of customers and their individual needs. These methods make use of demand and/or rate of demand as measured at a customer's site. This amount of “dispatchable” load, for example, usage that can be shed at a given time, is calculated from these measurements and then used to formulate set points and/or generate control signals which directly affect the shedding of a load.
Currently, to measure demand at a site, either a demand type metering device must be used, or a similar demand metering capability must be present in a load control device employed at that location. While some utilities may only employ demand measuring capability for a short time (e.g., until robust models are developed), even a short term deployment of a measuring capability may not only be cost prohibitive, but also require additional levels of system management. Furthermore, measuring usage at a premise level does not provide an indication of usage patterns at an equipment level. The result is that control signals meant to control individual loads are based on global measurements that have been taken and which are applied equally across all controlled loads. Generally speaking, utilities are primarily concerned with usage on an aggregate level, and individual equipment level data is not considered.